Culm-burning furnace.



- J. S. S. FULTON.

CULM BURNING FURNACE. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 31, 1911.

13130,?)89. Patented Mar.2, 1915.

angel Moi comes cerbonizerl, choking up the passage tremely low in volatile or gaseous ma-tter,

some s. s. roman, or. new $035K; N. Y., ssmuos 'ro ELIAS T. zm's'me, reasons.

m nnow-sumo summon To all whom iz may concern it known that I, JoHN S. Fouron; of the city of New York and State of New York, have invented certuin new and useful Improvements in Quins-Burning Furnaces; and I (lo hereby leclere the following to'be a, full, clear, and exact description of the invention; such as will enable others skilled in the art to which appertains or niche and use the same. I I I In the usv of anthracite culm as fuel for boiler or other furnaces, 1t- 18 essential that sufiicient air be injected into the charge of pulrerulcnt anthracite fuel. becomes lodged on a surface combustion ceases; it rapidly accumulates and the (.OllGCtlOIlSOOIl be way for the gasesso that the furnace is ten; clererl inoperative, e

My LIlYbHUOXl contcmpletes on improved cuhn burning furnace adapted to insure the attainment of the objects above specified.

It is well known in the hit that While pulverized coal or otheriuel of .a gaseous or volatile nature. such his bituminous coal. ll burn readily n furnaces adapted for that purpose, yet for the combustion of finely powdered anthracite coal, which is exspeciel designs of furnaces must be ernployeizl. They must be capable ofiattainmg a maximum degree of bestowing to the fact that who or powdered anthracite is not only difiicult to ignitebut burns very slowly of terignition as compered'with powdered bituminous coal Consequently, an efficient culm burning; furnace should be designed for the {impose of sustaining the powdered fuel in suspension sulliciently long to insure omplcte combustion, for maintaining maximum temperature and for supplying suilicienn air and preheating the some to a temperature equal to or greater than that required for the ignition of the fuel.

Fotenteai Mar. 1M5.

s m-soon filed March 31, 191 1. Sofie] Kim-618,152.

My invention is illustrated in the eceorc. panying drawing in which Figure l is a vertical longitudinal sectional view and Fig. {/3 a horizontal. sectioncl view on line 2- 13, Fig.1.

Referring to the drawing. the furnace 1 is. preferably of cylindrical shape and constructed with an inner wall 2 and an outer wall 3; the wall 2 inclosing the combustion chamber & The walls 2 and 3 are separa d. to provide an air pessage 5. The top cover 6 completes the inc'losure of the combustion chamber and this top as Well as the inner Wall are preferably built of fire brick.

Atmospheric air is admitted to the space through ports 7 closed by adjustable covers 8. The ports 7 are preferably at or near the bottom of the furnace on opposite sides of the flue or passage 9 leading from the combustion chamber to the boiler 10, the object beni to locate these as for as possible from the, actual zone of combustion. he port establishing communication between the air space 5 and the combustion chamber 4 is shown at or near the top of the furnace and is designated by the numeral 1:2. By reference to Fig.2, it will be noted. that this port is formed tangentially with relation to the cylindrical formation of the combustion chamber, so that-the air passing through the port/will be caused lie-Whirl about in the combustion" chamber. 1

At i l, Fig. 1, I have shown a fuel hopper equipped with a conventional form of feeding' means 15,;adapted. iior feeding finely pulverized fuel. Any of the well known pulverizing mills are afiepted for thejiurpose.

the furnace and introduced into the top of the combustion chamber at a, point di-- rectly in line with the-port 12 so that the chsrge of fuel, will encounter the air supply at the momentof its entrance into the combustion chamber.-

In Fig. 2.1 have shownot 17s valve controlled pipe leading from any source of supe'charge of From the hcbper, lo the fuel pose-es through :1 charging spout 16 in the top 60f falling from the mencement of the process, should it be preferred to heat the furnace with oil instead of wood or other fuel. I have shown the furnace provided with a cleanout passage 20 equipped with a door. 21.

In Operation the dampers 8 are adjusted to admit a supply of air to the space 5. preferably use oil fuel to heat the furnace, although this may be accomplished by a wood lire, the fuel being introduced through passage :20. When oil is used it is supplied to the combustion chamber through pipe 17 and is immediately ignited by a torch, the fuel being preferably under pressure. The

use of this oil fuel is continued until the walls 2 of the combustion chamber are heated to a red heat, The supply of oil fuel is then discontinued and steam pressure supplied through pipe 17 simultaneously with the feed of fuel, thus injecting the air from the passage 5 into the column of fuel hopper 14., .It will be noted that as the fuel enters the combustion chamber at'16 it encounters the supply of highly heated air from space 5 and the combined charge of fuel and heated is forced by the pressure to whirl about in the top of the combustion chamber, thus prolonging the distance the fuel must travel in its fall to the bottom of the furnace.- This has been found suiiicient to insure complete coinbustion' before it can reach and lodge upon the furnace bottom,

It is well known that a powdered fuel, for the combustion of which my furnace is adapted, is very buoyant, but'not suficiently so to prevent its rapid fall to the bottom of a combustion chamber into the top of which it has been introduced. In the present instance, however, the intense heat within the combustion chamber rises toward the top of the latter, and in so doing its buoyant force aids the whirling action of the air blast in maintaining the fuel in suspension su fiicieiitly long to effect thorough combustion.

I am. aware of prior constructions, intended for the combustion of powdered fuel, consisting of a vertically disposed furnace into the'top of which the fuel and air are introduced; but so far asdl know all such structures have simply contemplated an air supply passing upward beside the furnace and over the top thereof and downward into the furnace, the fuel being fed down- Ward in line with the center of the furnace. Practice has demonstrated that such structures will not effect the,coinbustion of anthracite culm, primarily because the air, instead of being intimately associated with the fuel, tends to pass down into the furnace against the walls thereof. it have found it essential tothoroughly mix the air and fuel immediately upon entering the furnace and that the air should be forced by pressure and intersect the fuel feed, that is, enter the furnace in a line of direction which crosses that of the fuel and that the results are greatly aided if the fuel and air be whirled about in the furnace.

Ii claim as my invention 1. In a culm burning furnace, the combination with a vertically disposed combus tion chamber and means for supplying powdered fuel at the top thereof, and permitting it .to gravitate thereimof a preheated atmospheric air supply leading from a point remote from said combustion chamber and passing adjacent thc latter throughout its length, and entering its top so as to inter sect the gravitating column of fuel supply, and means for acceleratin the preheated air at its point of union wit the fuel.

2. In aculm burnin furnace, in combination, a vertically isposed combustion chamber having two walls separated to pro videvan intermediate air space, means for introducing atmospheric air to said space at or near the bottom of said combustion chamber, and means "for regulating said air supply, the inner wall of said combustion cham her being formed with a horizontal port at its top establishing communication between said air space andjthe interior of said combustion chamber, and meansfor supplying fuel tosaid combustion chamber through the top thereof and allowing it to gravitate therein in line with said port.

3. In aculm burning; furnace, a combustion chamber in communication with a boiler fire box, an atmospheric air supply entering said furnace at or near the bottom thereof on opposite sides of the fuel leading from said combustion chamber to said fire box and entering said combustion chamber near the top thereof, and means for supplying a gravitating column of fuel to: sai combustion chamber through the top thereof near the point of entrance of said supply.

4:. In a culrn burning furnace, a cylindrical combustion chamber having two walls separated to provide an intermediate space, the inner wall having a port leading from said air space to the interior said.

combustion chamber in a tion, and the outer wall having a fluid pipe in line with said port, and a torch opening adjacentsaid fluid pipe, and means for supplying fuel to said combustion chamber.

In testimony whereof, I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscril ing witnesses.

- 5N0. Q. S FULTQN.

Witnesses:

Gnar'rou lb. MCGDLLL, Luolnnn Konnnonn.

tangential direc- 

